Comments:

Posted on June 17, 2013, updated August 23, 2014
Had one mulberry tree that didn\'t take off and thrive from the order I received this spring. Just received an email from Lucille saying a replacement was shipped today!
I\'ve ordered many plants from her, since finding her on the internet and will be placing more in the future.
Plants arrive healthy and well packaged.

On August 23rd, 2014, klee added the following:

There should be a rating above positive for this company!
I have ordered from Lucile several times and plan on placing more orders as she adds varieties and I prepare space to plant them. I received 7 more Gooseberry and 5 more Currant plants this Spring. All arrived in excellent condition and are thriving in my planting.
As Lucile continues to add varieties, I look forward to placing more orders with her.

Lucile is the best! Best value for great plants and a great variety to choose from. Shipping is very fast (mailed one day, en-route one day, and I picked them up at the post office the next day ... and that's to Colorado). The personal service and advice can't be beat; a rare novelty. In the spring I ordered 4 gooseberries and 2 currents that Lucile recommended. They are doing great! She definitely has my future business and recommendation. So glad I found her!

Posted on September 30, 2013, updated May 16, 2014
Posted on August 6, 2013, updated September 30, 2013
Posted on June 22, 2013, updated August 6, 2013
Posted on June 7, 2013, updated June 22, 2013
Posted on May 17, 2013, updated June 7, 2013
I discovered Whitman Farms just this past winter. Since then I've placed numerous orders with Lucile. The trees that I have received from her are sensational, most field grown, sturdy, full, and over six feet tall. I buy a lot of JMs online and believe Whitman Farms offers the very best value for the money. Over a dozen beautiful new trees and counting. Kudos to Lucile!

On June 7th, 2013, directorrod added the following:

Got two more shipments from Lucile at Whitman Farms this week, a total of six new trees. All are great specimens. The costs are always very reasonable, particularly for the quality. For my money you can't do better purchasing Japanese Maples on line than Whitman Farms.On June 22nd, 2013, directorrod added the following:

Three more Japanese maple cultivars arrived yesterday. Whitman Farms can't be beaten no matter what size you order. The field grown trees are the size of others 7 gallon, the 2 gallon the size others 5 gallon size, and the 1 gallon as big as most 2 gallons. The personal service is exceptional, and the photos assure that you know exactly what you are ordering.On August 6th, 2013, directorrod added the following:

Three more gorgeous cultivars from Whitman Farms last week. As always they were far bigger and sturdier than I would have expected for the price. I only wish I had purchased all of my extensive collection of Japanese maples from Lucile at Whitman Farms.On September 30th, 2013, directorrod added the following:

Simply the VERY BEST of the best! I've received two more shipments since my previous posting. All these trees were huge field grown specimens that fit into the large cartons only by ingenious packing. Look no further, Whitman Farms is THE place for Japanese Maple trees.On May 16th, 2014, directorrod added the following:

6 new field grown cultivars this spring. No one is more concerned with the quality of their trees and with customer satisfaction than Lucile Whitman. Everything I've purchased from Whitman Farms has been sensational. As I said previously, as a source for Japanese maples Lucile is simply the Very Best of the Best!

Posted on May 8, 2013, updated May 7, 2014
Lucille has been wonderful with her help. The plants arrived at perfect timing and in top condition and she had plants others could not provide. We highly recommend her as the first place to look.

Warm thanks, again, Lucille.

Angela

On May 7th, 2014, Aniela added the following:

We received anotehr order from Lucille, arriving carefully packed and in perfect condition, with a bonus. Lucille remains as before, just wonderful with her help.

I have been an avid gardener for over 30 years and have a wealth of stories both good and bad about ordering plants through the mail and on-line. Whitman Farms is totally different and head and shoulders above any other company I've used. Lucille is amazingly refreshing in her honesty and her products are great. I recently ordered 4 relatively large Appalachian Redbuds and they were better than I could have purchased from a local nursery. They were priced appropriately, packaged very well and came when Lucille said they would.

I recently ordered a black mulberry tree from Lucile. Morus nigra is relatively hard to find on the east coast, but Whitman had good reviews so I gave her a call. Not only was she courteous and knowledgeable, but she was more than forward about discussing the difficulties I may face growing Morus nigra where I live - rather than just try and sell me whatever, she described growing conditions, experiences, demands, etc. When I made up my mind to order it after we'd spoken for a few minutes, she told me she'd pick the best looking specimen and get it to me in a few days. In less than a week, I had a beautiful King James II that was healthy as can be. I would definitely order again from Whitman farms. Thanks Lucile!

Lucile is just great. I called her up at her Whitman Farms to order several table grapevines and a cornus kousa ('Akatsuki') that I have been searching for a while. They were very reasonably priced, and the shipping charges were reasonable as well. Lucile even included a bonus grapevine in the package, which was quite a nice surprise. After the dormancy period, the grapevines are leafing out, and some even have flower buds already! However, one of the grapevines did not leaf out; in fact, the leaf buds never even swelled up. I discovered that there was no green cambium underneath the top layer. So, I contacted Lucile and she said it's no problem to ship me a replacement. I am waiting for the replacement grapevine at the time of writing. I would definitely order from Whitman Farms again.

All around great experience! I ordered 2 named varieties of mulberry tree by phone. I got an email notifying me when they were to be shipped (UPS) and they arrived 3 days later (to Pennsylvania) in perfect condition. I was surprised to see they were both 5 feet tall and had not been drastically cut back to fit in the shipping container. The packing method was innovative to say the least, maybe ingenious would be a better description, and obviously worked. The Illinois Everbearing even has green berries on it; didn't drop a berry or a leaf. Very good price for this quality of plant and the shipping from the west coast. I will be buying from Whitman Farms again.

Here to add to chorus of positive feedback. Ordered Friday, shipped on Monday. Everything arrived in excellent condition, with 3 out of 4 plants being much more than I had expected, with the 4th being as expected. Top it off, FAIR SHIPPING COST. Not inflated like some. So nice dealing with honest people trying to do things "RIGHT". Do yourself a favor, if Whitman has something you want, or if it's between Whitman Farms and some other place (even if some people think the other place is great), go with Whitman Farms.

There is not enough room on this computor to tell every one how happy we are with our purchase from Lucille at Whitman Farms. We had almost given up on our plan to plant strawberry tree's when we tried to purchase them, or one I should say, from a very expensive online company that claimed to be the only nursey in the united states to offer these trees. We wanted to purchase 2 but could only afford one, but when I tried to order the tree, we were turned down because we did not reach the minimum order. I googled, I binged, for hours with no luck and just as I was about to give up I found Whitman Farms!! I was a little confused by the website as there was no place to order, so I called and reached here voicemail, Lucille called us back promptly, and not only answered all my novice questions in a way I could understand, but sold me 2 strawberry trees for less than I could have purchased 1 from that other company and with a considerable lower shipping rate. We recieved our tree's literally within a few days, packaged perfectly, and more beautiful and healthy than we could of hoped for if we would have gone to the store and picked them out ourselves. Our Trees are in the ground and in less than a week already have new growth!!!!! After we recieved the trees I had a few more questions on their care, called Lucille, and with the same enthusiam as before the sale she spent her time explaining thoughly ever question I had. What more can I say? From now on ANYTHING we need for our landscape I will check with Whitman Farms FIRST!!!!!

The owner took her time discussing Mulberries on many occasions with my wife both by telephone and by e-mail responding in a friendly and helpful way each and every time. We ordered plants about a year ago and they arrived ingeniously packaged to protect everything in a Federal Express box. The plants all survived and bore fruit the first season which we shared with the birds. There was one plant that might have been an incorrect variety but since we were unable to determine if this were the case the owner offered, without us asking, to send us a replacement plant at no charge. We have been very satisfied with this farm. By coincidence we have something in common. She used to live in Maryland in the same town we now live in. Itís a small world. We recommend this farm highly.

Last week I placed an order for five trees that I couldn't obtain from my favorite local nurseries. The plants arrived today, perfectly bundled and secured in a large heavy box.

After removing them and standing them up, I'm extremely pleased with their condition - very fresh and healthy.

Even with shipping, the cost per tree was less than what I would have paid to buy them locally, and about the same size. My only regret is that I didn't include a few more things with my original order, but I am sure I'll be ordering again. Thanks, Lucile!

Outstanding nursery. I do not like phoning in an order, I prefer Amazon-like purchasing, but the web site stresses "CALL ME", and that is exactly what you should do. It is amazing how much Lucille knows, and she often has new, unlisted varieties she can recommend. I do not think they update the web site very often, but if you want to great advice and great plants, she is the person to call. Just tell her what you want. I am sure there is no other place that offers the variety and quality of gooseberry and currant plants in the U.S.. I have not tried Whitman Farms for other types of plants, but I think it's a safe bet.

I received my order of a vine maple and mulberry last week and both looked good on arrival and were very securely packaged The shipping charge of $20 for two one gallon plants wasn't bad either. They are both all vertical (no branching) but they are about 3 foot tall and well covered in leaves. I would and probably will order from them again.

Posted on February 2, 2011, updated February 23, 2013
Posted on June 5, 2010, updated February 2, 2011
Posted on May 13, 2010, updated June 5, 2010
Posted on April 2, 2010, updated May 13, 2010
Posted on March 24, 2010, updated April 2, 2010
Posted on March 4, 2010, updated March 24, 2010
Posted on February 25, 2010, updated March 4, 2010
Posted on February 17, 2010, updated February 25, 2010
Posted on January 25, 2007, updated February 17, 2010
The very best nursery to do business with!!
I ordered a hamamelis over the phone, the lady of the house answered the phone herself (!) and she had an answer to all of my questions.
The tree shipped out promptly, and will be here tomorrow.
This is how it should be, great customer service, friendly owner, she is such a sweet woman!
Will buy from her again!!!

On January 26th, 2007, mrs_colla added the following:

I got my hamamelis today!! OHHH, I'm in love! The plant is taller than me, is in bloom, and has a wonderful rootball! They have their own special method for fieldgrown trees and shrubs, and it works miracles! Not potbound roots, many little roots, just GREAT!
I strongly recommend this grower!!!
I called Lucile to thank her for the beautiful plant, and it is obvious to me she loves all her plants as much as I do, her heart is in it, and that shows! I love this small family nursery!On February 18th, 2007, mrs_colla added the following:

Second order, again, PRISTINE!!!
Wonderful plant, great customer service ( although calling Lucile can be dangerous; before you know it you've been talking "plants" for an hour, LOL), superb packing, I am a HAPPY, happy customer!
Thank you Lucile, you are wonderful!
ChristieOn February 18th, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

Thank you Lucile, the Maples are beautiful and got here fast, in perfect condition!On February 26th, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

Lucile has the very best plants in the nursery business. That much I know.
The Maple she sent me this time was twice as big as I expected, just beautiful and not one broken branch!
She packs the biggest plants with so much care.
I am very much a fan Lucile!On March 4th, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

Lucile, I got your Dogwood, what a beauty!

You are consistently the best grower of my ornamentals!

ChristieOn March 24th, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

Today big tree arrived at my doorstep, completely out of the blue!
I had sent Lucile a picture of a Maple that was not what I supposed it to be, and she suggested I watch it for a month, and then we talk again.
I trust her wisdom completely when it comes to her trees, and left it like that.

So today a replacement was delivered to me, from Lucile, no charge!
That is the very best customer service I have ever received from any company, more than I could have wished for.

Lucile, you are the best, I love your plants and will care for them well.On April 2nd, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

Yesterday I got two more 2 gallon Maple trees. The roots fill the root-bag very nicely without crowding it, the trunk is a nice size, and the leaves and branches are healthy.
Best packed I have ever seen , not a one broken branch on such fragile branches!
Thanks Lucile!On May 13th, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

I got two beautiful 1 gal. Maples from Lucile, packed so very carefully, the trees are so pretty and sturdy in the roots.
When I looked for a plant in the size Lucile didn't have, she directed me to a nursery that did have it.
Lucile is always my first choice.
When I have a bug chewing the leaves, I ask her, and she always promptly responds with a nature friendly method that works.On June 5th, 2010, mrs_colla added the following:

Another beautiful plant came to me, in a root bag, with healthy, sturdy roots.
I have another tree coming, I LOVE Lucile's plants! They have never failed me, they are not fussy, but healthy and rip-roaring to go!
Thanks Lucile!On February 23rd, 2013, mrs_colla added the following:

Every time Spring comes around, I am amazed at how gorgeous Lucile's plants and trees are. I order every Spring, and every time the plants are special, in great health, and packed so well. This time I ordered a rare Dogwood. My gardeners have seen more plants they didn't know in my garden than anywhere else. I am a fan.

I have ordered plants from many places over the years, but I don't believe I have received any in better condition or packed better than what Lucile at Whitman Farms' sent me. I will order again from her for sure. I appreciate when someone still cares about what they sell to the consumer. Thanks Lucile, I really appreciate it.

My Betula nigra 'Fox Valley' trees just arrived and they are in fantastic shape for traveling from Oregon to KY. I can't find a broken twig on either tree. The packing method ensured a safe trip for whatever was in the box. Communication with Whitman Farms was perfect and they wanted to make sure I was ready for the trees before they shipped them. We took into account the season and the long range forecast and the trees weren't stuck in a transfer warehouse over a weekend either. I'm extremely pleased with this purchase and will definitely be a repeat customer!

I recently bought some gooseberry and currant plants from Whitman Farms. I called Lucile Whitman and left a message asking about shipping costs and questions about the plants. She called back very quickly and was very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. She shipped the plants within a couple of days of the order being placed. The plants were large healthy and well packaged. I was very pleased. She called a couples of weeks later to say that she had a problem with billing my credit card and could I review the number I gave her. I did so and the question was quickly resolve. I just want to say how impressed I am with her service, quality of plants and her commitment to getting out orders in a timely manner. She is honest and trusting. I would do business with her again in the future and will buy from her again.

I ordered a Dove Tree, Sonoma variety, which are not easy to find, back in February. It was shipped exactly when I wanted it and arrived yesterday in good condition considering it went cross country, just needs some sun.
Lucile does an excellent job communicating with you, sending you a picture of the tree you ordered and giving you shipping status.
If you are looking for hard to find trees then this is the place to go.

This is one of the few nurseries in the United States that has Daphne Briggs Moonlight in a 2 Gallon size. Postage, via Fed EX ground was a bit steep to Connecticut and I wish they also offered USPS Priority mail which I suspect might have been cheaper. Priority would also arrive within 2-3 days wheras FED EX ground took 8 days. Otherwise excellent communications. The owner even send me a photo of the actual plant for sale when I inquired about the size!

From the initial conversation to the plants arriving this is a great nursery to deal with. I ordered two field grown plants and was very happy with the size of each. Both are late winter bloomers and I can't wait till next year to see them in bloom in Late Feb/Early March.

If you have been on the fence about buying from this company you should not, you won't be disappointed.

Ordered 2 blackcurrant bushes from Whitman Farms this year. I'm very pleased with the plants. They are bareroot, and have many buds and a strong root system. Lucille was very pleasant to deal with. The bushes were shipped on time. Very good transaction. I highly recommend this company.

I ordered a white fruited mulberry from Whitman Farms last spring. It was a very smooth ordering process, a good price and a very nice tree. I was so mad at another mailorder place, which is why I signed up here, I forgot to add a positive review to a company that deserves it. The plant had berries and I discovered that I don't really like the taste of the white mulberries (no fault of the grower), but the birds do so I'll leave it.

Very satisfied with the entire process at Whitman Farms. Lucille was very patient with me, taking photos and letting me describe and pick my ideal specimen. She even went back for an extra round of photos to include a few more options and to thank her, I bought an extra 1 Gallon maple. The trees were shipped promptly and were well packed. The only hiccup was that one of the trees came with a 6" branch broken off, which was somewhat disappointing, but they were healthy and vigorous.
I would not hesitate to order from them again.

This is my second time ordering currants and gooseberries from Lucile. Both experiences were fantastic. Everything arrived promptly and in good shape, and all four plants are already leafed out nicely in my berry patch. I appreciate her willingness to spend time recommending varieties.

Lucile at Whitman Farms has great customer service. She promptly answered all my emails, sent pictures for me to choose from and delivered a full, healthy, beautiful Autumn Moon maple that looked better out of the box than any tree I could have picked up at the local nurseries. My tree was well packaged and came out of the box without a single leaf damaged. I am VERY happy with my purchase. I was impressed and will be back for more!

As a repeat customer I am always impressed with the service I recieve from Lucile.
The prices and selection are great and packing is secure.
Very few nurserys take the time to send pictures which is a huge convience.
I ordered 1 gallon and 2 grafts ,and they arrived in perfect condition....all the way from Oregon to Maryland !!

I just received my currants and couldn't be happier with the plants. The are all very healthy and survived the shipping in great shape. My order came in a week. They are the best looking bare root plants I have ever gotten through mail order. A++

I visited Lucile Whitman at her nursery and was very impressed with her knowledge, friendliness, and personal attention. The variety and volume of products is astounding. Service was prompt and the plants arrived in perfect condition.

The plant was large, healthy and had been so carefully placed into the wrapping not a leaf was ruffled. The customer service was so personal I couldn't ask for a better company. I don't have a big yard or I'd buy lots and lots, but have to choose so carefully and was really glad I chose Whitman Farms.

I just came back from visiting Whitman Farms and all I can say is WOW. The green houses are full of a vast array of unusual,beautiful and healthy specimens. I went there to find a tree that had to fit a certain criteria and so far, after much investigation I had not been able to make a decision. Lucille heard me, pointed to a small pot in the green house and then proceeded to take me into the fields so I could see the impact of a large specimen. It was a Ulmus procera argenteo-variegata that stood around 14 feet tall in all its splendor, planted in a root control bag that was sunk into the ground. We tagged it so I can pick it up in October. Lucille is like a walking dictionary, freely sharing her knowledge peppered with a good dose of humor and unbelievable customer service.

After having a bad experience with Gardener's Choice, I was in search of a strawberry tree to plant next to my recently purchased blueberry tree. I called several mail order outfits and was told that I'd need to wait until next year. I tried one more nursery, Whitman Farms, and found the most wonderful woman who was willing to go out in the nursery and see if she could come up with one for me.

Within 30 minutes she emailed photos of two strawberry trees to choose from, including price and shipping. I decided between the two, called her, gave my credit card number, and was told she'd ship my tree out the next day. This was Tuesday, and much to my surprise, my beautiful strawberry tree arrived today (Friday), and it looks even better than it did in the photo.

I could not be happier with the service provided by Whitman Farms, and I highly recommend them to everyone.

What an absolute joy to do business with this nursery. First of all, they had a fairly mature Kamagata Japanese Maple that I was looking for that was difficult to find elsewhere. When I inquired about it I got quick answers and Lucile even sent me a photo of the actual tree. Where else does that happen? I had a most pleasurable albeit short phone conversation with Lucile who told me she felt her tree was "getting a good home." When someone says something like that you know they love their plants. Lucile seems like the kind of person you could talk to for hours.

Anyway, she dug the tree for me, and put it in the cooler to keep it dormant until it was ok to ship to my zone. The tree arrived today and it is glorious. Incredible packing job and phenomenal tree. The expensive shipping was worth every penny to get a specimen like this, the likes of which I would never find around here

I only hope I can do right by Lucile's incredible tree. Probably my best mail order experience ever. What a pleasure!

On April 30th, 2009, Twonewfs added the following:

Ordered again this year. If I was happy last year (and I was), I am overjoyed this year. The acer japonicum aconitifolium I ordered was HUGE and full of buds. I am so impressed. I wish I could order more from Whitman Farms. The root control bags they use are really ingenious and are what really makes it possible to ship trees this big.

I ordered a field-grown Hamamelis 'Jelena' last Fall and received a very well-branched 5-foot tree. It bloomed spectacularly from January through March--I couldn't be happier! I would definitely order from Whitman Farms again.

I ordered a Davidia involucrata "Sonoma" (AKA- Dove Tree, Handkerchief Tree) from Whitman Farms last October (10-2007) and was very impressed with the friendly, helpful, and professional customer service I received. Thanks Lucille!

Communication was excellent, I knew exactly where and when to expect my tree that was shipped via DHL all of the way from OR to KY. I chose Whitman Farms over other nurseries because of its high ratings online and the fact that it appeared to supply high quality plants at a reasonable price. Lucille answered all of my questions and made the transaction a simple and pleasant experience.

The tree was grown in a root bag and had a very well developed root system. It was packed very well and despite some rough handling in transit it looked stong and healthy when it arrived. I live in a borderline zone for growing this tree and I've tried growing the species from smaller plants but they were too small to get well established and died due to winter freezing. I was hoping the larger, more mature tree would fare better plus the cultivar "Sonoma" is supposed to be hardier.

It's finally spring and my Dove Tree is breaking dormancy and is beginning to leaf out! We had a heavy and late frost a few days ago and some of the leaves/buds were nipped, but the tree is strong and I'm certain it will have no problem overcoming this little setback. It made it through the winter freezes like a trooper.

I would highly recommend Whitman Farms for their quality products and excellent customer relations.